A.M. Kulp Elementary School Principal Sara Rattigan brings her elf on the shelf, Peppermint Pixie, to life each holiday season, spreading festive cheer throughout the school, reports Matteo Iadonisi for 6abc.

Rattigan came up with the idea while searching for a fun and creative way to keep students engaged during one of the most exciting times of the year: the stretch between Thanksgiving and the winter holidays.

“Last year, a teacher and I were talking about ways to just get through this December month,” said Rattigan. “We’re getting ready for the holiday break at the end of December and it’s tough to engage everybody. It just feels like a slow marathon. So we invited our friend, an elf actually, from the North Pole. Her name is Peppermint Pixie.”

Each day, Peppermint Pixie surprises kids with a different activity, including hosting a campfire or trying to find her way out of the school’s book vending machine.

“Every time the kids come in from the bus or they come in from the car line, they’re just all over, ‘Where’s Elfie?’” said Rattigan.

Watch the entire segment at 6abc.